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Lens of the Void
|name=Lens of the Void |image=LensOfTheVoid Cover1.jpg |imgsize=250px |author=Hugh Todd |editor= |artist= |intartist= |series= |parent= |pages=8 |publisher=Blizzard Entertainment |published=April 25, 2013 |binding= |isbn10= |isbn13= |isbn10e= |isbn13e= |inseries1= |inseries2= |inseries3= |inseries4= |inseries5= |inseries6= |inseries7= |inseries8= |inseries9= |inseries10= }} Lens of the Void is a StarCraft II short story written by Hugh Todd, designed to tie-in with Heart of the Swarm. It focuses on the void ray. The story was later collected in StarCraft II: War Stories.Todd, Hugh. "Lens of the Void." (April 25, 2013). Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft Lore: Lens of the Void Accessed 2013-04-26 Description As one of the newest and most deadly additions to the protoss fleet, there is little that can stand in the way of the void ray's devastating prismatic beams. But when the protoss vessel engages a zerg hive, the ship's crew is put to the ultimate test. ---- A venerated dark templar teacher must overcome the pain of an old wound. Synopsis Feranon, whom the Hierarchy has recently put in command of the newly built void ray , leads his crew of khalai and Nerazim protoss in a battle against the zerg. The ship engages a group of ultralisks with its prismatic beam, but the creatures' armor prove to strong. Feranon asks the young dark templar Althai, who controls the weapon, to power up a second flux field projector and make the beam stronger. Althai's teacher, Elder Theromos, advises against this, but the younger Nerazim thinks he can control the weapon. The ultralisks are destroyed by the stronger beam, but Althai is killed by the stress. Theromos coldly points out that he needs a new student. The commander later visits Theromos in his quarters, and the two have a heated debate about what happened. Feranon eventually leaves, telling the older man that his new student is warping in as they speak. The new student, Sharas, begins her training under Theromos, who explains the workings of the void ray: its power comes from a combination of the energies of the Khala and the Void, but it needs a living dark templar to focus the beam, who is commonly referred to as the "void lens". The first lesson is promising. Some time later, the Purity of Form leads another attack against a zerg hive cluster, with Sharas performing well. As the ship attacks the hive, the Swarm starts spawning hydralisks, which could put Feranon's crew in danger. He once again asks for a stronger beam, as Theromos protests. Sharas states that she can handle the stress, and successfully destroys the hive. Feranon once again comes to see Theromos, who lectures him about the difference between a meaningful death and a waste of life, but refuses to elaborate on his own feelings about the countless losses he has experienced in his incredibly long life. In their next training session, the Elder explains to Sharas that her anger helped her to focus the energy of the beam. He shows her methods to strengthen her discipline, which she masters better than he expected, but also warns her that if she becomes reckless with her powers, the Void will consume her. Sharas then asks if it would be better to have two dark templar use the power in tandem, at which point the Elder relates a story about Naraza, a female friend of his from centuries ago with whom he studied the void. She planned to merge with Theromos into a dark archon, but he could not complete the ritual, and she was consumed by the power she sought. After this traumatic event, Theromos decided to become a teacher rather than to wield the might of the Void as a weapon himself. As Sharas struggles to take in this story, the zerg attack the protoss base. The Purity of Form quickly joins the defense effort, but the enemy seems too strong until the void lens once again uses a stronger beam. The ship engages a swarm of brood lords, but will not be able to handle them all before they reach the base's nexus. Sharas agrees to use the third flux field projector, creating the most powerful beam the ship can generate. It easily destroys the brood lords, but the power soon becomes to much for Sharas to handle. Theromos connects with her, helping her to stabilize, but she has felt the true might of Void, and is tempted to become one with it. Slowly, he is able to convince her that they would both be lost if they tried. Sharas later visits her mentor, who not only assures her that she did well, but also thanks her for helping him realize that he can no longer hide behind his grief, and must wield the power of the Void to help his kind. Later, he visits Commander Feranon, and offers to become the Purity of Form's void lens once the training of his latest student is completed. Characters Main Characters * Feranon (khalai commander of the Purity of Form) * Theromos (Nerazim teacher) * Sharas (Nerazim "void lens") Minor Characters * Althai (Nerazim "void lens") * Naraza (Nerazim) References Category:Short stories